Make it: Strawberry rose sorbet

You’ve heard of stopping to smell the roses, but how about eating them?

We’re always looking for ways to create LUSH-inspired edible treats, and this time we asked an expert! Mikaela Reuben is a nutritional specialist who focuses on health coaching and cooking with whole foods. She took time out of her busy schedule (which includes cooking for the likes of Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson) to share this delectable rose petal and strawberry sorbet recipe with us, featuring homemade rose petal infusion- how luxurious does that sound!?

We make our own rose petal infusion in the LUSH kitchens using beautiful hand-picked Damask rose petals from India. We steep the roses in boiling water, then strain away the petals leaving behind a fragrant and vitamin-rich infusion. We use it in our Lovely Jubblies breast cream along with cold-pressed essential oils and orange blossom honey to tone and firm up the décolletage.

Not only does rose petal infusion gently tone and calm the skin, it also tastes fantastic. Try Mikaela’s recipe for rose petal and strawberry sorbet and you’ll never look at roses the same way again!

Rose Petal and Strawberry Sorbet

(Recipe serves 2)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups of strawberries

1/8 cup honey

1 cup of rose petals (about 3 roses)

1 cup water

Step 1: First, make sweet rose infusion. To do this, boil the water and pour it over the rose petals and honey. Stir, ensuring the honey dissolves and that the rose petals are completely submerged in hot water.

Step 2: Cover the mixture and let it steep for 30 minutes or until the water cools. You could let it sit all day if you’d like- the longer the petals sit and release their natural flavor into the water, the better.

Step 3: Once cooled, strain out the rose petals and pour the rose water into a blender with the strawberries and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

Step 4: Pour the mixture onto a tray and freeze.

Step 5: When the mixture has frozen, blend it once more to make it smoother, then scoop into a glass or bowl and top with a strawberry for garnish. Enjoy!

To make this recipe vegan, use 1/8 cup maple syrup in place of honey.

Note: When using roses for culinary purposes, ensure they are either homegrown without pesticides or chemicals, or organic if they are store bought. Some gourmet food and flower shops carry fresh, edible roses.

For more delicious recipes with an emphasis on whole foods from Mikaela Rueben, visit mikaelareuben.com